


Translation

by SpecialHell



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Languages, M/M, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Swearing, mixed race Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 14:11:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17899619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpecialHell/pseuds/SpecialHell
Summary: Bucky doesn't always speak English. Steve doesn't mind at all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I need to thank [@aka_spacedog](https://twitter.com/aka_spacedog) and [@vvextant](https://twitter.com/vvextant) on Twitter for helping me out on this. The former for (possibly inadvertently) helping me kickstart this story to life, and the latter for helping with the translation-hovering-html doodads. 
> 
> For anyone who can't get the hovery thing, I've also left translations in the end notes.
> 
> As always, I'm not entirely sure what this is or where it came from, but I hope you enjoy it all the same <3

Steve was getting used to the unfamiliar languages around him. Since getting Bucky back, he’d heard more non-English than English spoken. Clint and Natasha had assured him it was normal. Bucky’s brain was recalibrating, and sometimes he didn’t realise he was speaking in a different language. Often, if it was a language they understood, Nat or Clint would answer him, and then segue into English. It helped Bucky, and Steve was glad to have them around.

 

As Bucky began to recover, his language quirk became a source of amusement.

 

Somewhere along the line, Bucky had received a copy of Steve’s SHIELD file (Steve was almost positive Tony had given it to him). Steve found him one morning, reading over the pages and muttering.

_ “Nesăbuit.” _

Clint came in and stood next to Steve, watching Bucky.

“It’s Romanian,” Clint whispered. “Want me to translate?”

Steve shook his head, and Clint chuckled before heading towards the coffee pot. The sound made Bucky look up, and he scowled as soon as he saw Steve.

“Good morning,” Steve smiled and took a step forward. Bucky stood up, and without saying anything, threw the manila folder at Steve’s head. Bucky left, still scowling, and Steve looked over to see Clint grinning wide.  
“Did I miss something?” 

“Well, he called you reckless,” Clint supplied, waving his mug around in gesture. “Also he was reading your file. My guess is he either saw the whole ‘jumping out an airplane sans parachute’ deal, or maybe the ‘abandoning your shield and cowl for a dick measuring fistfight’. Then again, it could have been- ”

“Yeah, ok,” Steve stopped Clint, but he was smiling. “I get the picture. I’ll make pancakes. Think you can convince him to come back here?”

Clint didn’t respond, he just left the room shouting in what Steve assumed was Romanian.


	2. Chapter 2

“What the hell is that?” Natasha was sleep ruffled when she joined Steve on the way to the living room. There was crashing and muffled swearing in a language that neither could place right away, but which certainly wasn’t English.

_ “Sharmoota!” _

Steve stopped in the doorway, and Nat followed. Bucky was in the kitchen. It was clear he’d been trying to cook something. There were pans and utensils around, and Bucky’s hair was falling out of the messy bun he’d put it up in.

_ “Ybn El-Mitneka!” _

Steve laughed aloud at the exclamation, and Nat looked over, surprised.

“You understand him?”

“It’s Egyptian,” Steve replied, a fond smile on his face. “Bucky’s grandmother refused to speak anything else to us when we were kids. She moved to New York to be with Bucky’s grandfather, but she had a stubborn streak when it came to his heritage. Of course, us being kids, we only cared about learning the bad words.”

_ “Khara.” _

“Language!” Steve called out, and Bucky spun to face him. There was some kind of batter on his cheek, and what Steve assumed to be egg yolk smeared across his apron.

_“Zeby f bo’ak,_ Rogers.”

_“Qul raja’,”_ Steve smirked back at Bucky, and it didn’t take long for his shoulders to slump and a rough laugh to escape. Nat looked between them like they were complete aliens, before leaving them alone without a word. Steve continued the silence when they were alone. It wasn’t strained, and Bucky’s eyes glittered when Steve moved into the kitchen area to help clean everything up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Egyptian Arabic  
> “Sharmoota!” = Slut  
> “Ybn El-Mitneka!” = Son of a whore  
> “Khara.” = Shit  
> “Zeby f bo’ak.” = Suck my dick (literally: “My dick in your mouth”)  
> “Qul raja’.” = Say please


	3. Chapter 3

Steve winced as Natasha reset his nose. No matter how many times it happened, the sting of it still felt like the first time. Bucky was sitting on the stool next to Steve with a wistful smile on his lips that told Steve he too was reminiscing about all the times Bucky had done this for him.

_ “я люблю твое глупое лицо” _

Steve almost didn’t hear Bucky, and he looked to Nat for a translation. He understood enough to identify it as Russian, but that was all.

“He said he loves your stupid face,” Nat was still focussing on Steve’s injuries as she spoke, but the wry curve to her lips gave away her amusement.

Steve chuckled at that.

“He always used to say that when I got my nose mangled,” Steve was looking into the middle distance, lost in the memory. Bucky was looking right at Steve. “He’d pull me out of the fight, clean me up, and he’d say _“I happen to like this stupid face of yours. Why you gotta keep messin’ it up?”_ like I’d planned to break my nose or something.”

“You were going after guys bigger than me, you punk,” Bucky argued, and Steve turned a helplessly fond expression in his direction. “It might not have been Plan A, but it sure as hell wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.”

“Well maybe I just liked having you clean me up,” Steve shot back. There was a pink tinge to his ears that told Nat this wasn’t just sarcasm. Carefully, she lifted herself from her seat and waved an arm towards Bucky.

“His nose isn’t going to fall off,” she smiled. “I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Natasha walked out without any further explanation, and Steve risked a look over at Bucky. It took a moment before he composed his thoughts to speak. Steve was happy to wait.

“She’s right, you know.”

“Whatever it is, don’t tell her she’s right,” Steve smiled, and Bucky smiled back even as he moved to take up the space Nat had left.

“What I said,” Bucky elaborated, his hands clenching as if he wanted to touch but was afraid. “I wasn’t thinking… that’s why it came out in Russian, but… I saw you all bloodied up, just like when we were kids, and I…” Bucky reached out his right hand and rested it on Steve’s cheek - where a bruise was beginning to bloom. “I realised something important. Something I think I knew. Before.” Steve stayed silent as Bucky tried to work through his feelings. “I love you, Steve.”

The only reaction Steve could manage was a blinding grin. Bucky still looked a little confused, but he was still touching Steve, and his body language wasn’t tense.

“Did you know? Did I tell you?”

“Not in so many words,” Steve admitted. “But I knew. And you knew that I loved you back. At least, I hope you did.”

“I think I did,” Bucky fell silent for a moment longer, before letting his hand fall from Steve’s face and instead reached for his hand.  
“I want to love you,” Bucky’s voice was quiet but decisive. “Can we?” 

The look in Bucky’s eyes took Steve’s breath away, and the “Yes” that was his reply came out more a sigh than a word. Steve’s eyes fluttered closed as Bucky closed the scant gap between them and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation: 
> 
> Russian  
> ”я люблю твое глупое лицо” = I love your stupid face.

**Author's Note:**

> Translations: 
> 
> Romanian  
> “Nesăbuit.” = Reckless


End file.
